Hydraulic coal and ore washing and separating machine



Feb. '11, 1930. I c. F. RICHARDS I} 5 HYDRAULIC COAL AND ORE WASHING AND SEPARATING MACHINE Filed Oct. 29, 1927 :5 Sheets-Sheet 1 'EF' Eichar :15

I (Home/1 Feb. 11, 1930. c, c s I 1,746,557

HYDRAULIC COAL AND ORE WASHING AND SEPARATING MACHINE Filed Oct. 29, 1927 s Sheets-Sheet 2 F 1930. c. F. RICHARDS 1,746,557 a I v I HYDRAULIC COAL AND ORE WASHING AND SEPARATING MAHINE I Filed Oct. 29, 1927. s Shee'ts-Sihe'ef 5 I Qttowmg I Patented Feb. 11, 1930 CHARLES E. RICHARDS, WHITE HAVEN, PENNSYLVANIA PATENT OFFICE HYDRAULIC COAL AND ORJIWASI-IING- AND SEPARATING- MACHINE Application filed October 29, 1927. Serial No. 229,583.

10 portion, water being supplied to the interior of the drum and passing upwardly through the openings thereof and through the materialthereon and separating the lighter from the heavier particles.

The invention includes means for retardmg the movement of the material, changing the speed of the traveling screen and varying the pressure of the water, all as will appear more fully hereinafter.

lVhile the drawing illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that in adapting the means to meet specific needs and requirements the design may be varied and such other changes in the minor details of construction may be resorted to within the scope ofthe invention asclaimed, without departing from the spirit thereof.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof, reference is to'be had to the following description and the drawing hereto attached, in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical, central, longitudinal, sectional view of an embodiment of the invention. p

Figure 2 is a top plan View thereof.

View on the line 38 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a'detail sectional view on the line 44 of Figure 1, looking to the "left as designated by the arrows.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and designated in the several views of the drawing by like reference characters.

The numeral 1 designates generally a substantial framework for receiving and supporting the operating parts. The numeral 2 designates a tank which is adapted to contain a quantity of water for washing the coal, ore

Figure .3 is a vertical transverse sectionalor other commodity to be separated. An outlet 3 is formed in the bottom of the tank for the discharge ofslush and this opening is controlled by means of a gate 4 which is operable by means of a lever 5 conveniently positioned. A portion of the tank 2 is upwardly and rearwardly inclined from the slush outlet 3, as indicated most clearly at G in Figure 1. This inclined portion 6 is constricted as indicated most clearly in Figure .3 to provide a trough in which operates the lower run of an endless conveyor 7. 'Spur wheels 8 and 9 support the endless conveyor 7. The upper spur wheel 9 is fast to a shaft 10 which is connected by means of a drive belt11 to a drive shaft 12 of a variable speed gearing. A chute 13 is provided at the receiving end of the tank 2 for directing the material into the separator. An angular liplt is pivotally connected to the lower or discharge end of the chute 13 and is adjustable vertically at its lower or discharge end. Vertically disposed rods 15 are connected at their lower ends to the lower delivery portion of the lip 14 and their upper ends are threaded and receive hand wheels 16 which engage brackets 17 through which the upper threaded ends of the rods 15 loosely pass.

A gate 18 is pendant from a transverse shaft 19 mounted in brackets 20 applied to the upper portion of the frame work 1. The gate 18 controls the speed of the material overthe chute 13. A. bell crank 21 is mounted upon a standard 22 projected upwardly from the framework 1 and its vertical arm is connected by means of a rod 23 with an arm pendant from the shaft 19. The horizontal arm of the bell crank 21 is provided with a weight 24 which is adjustable thereon, and is connected by means of a rod 25 with an arm 26 projecting rearwardly from a pivotally mounted gate 27 which controls the outlet for the slate. When the feed controlling gate 18 swingsrearwardly it also effects a corresponding movement of the gate 27 through the instrumentality of the connecting means. 95 Adjustment of the weight 24 on the horizon 'talarm of the bell crank 21 controls the resistance offered by the gate18 to the feed of the material. An upright plate 28 is dis posed rearwardly of the feed chute 13 and its bottom edge is about in the plane of the delivery portion of the angled lip 14. The outlet closed by the gate 27 is located below the plate 28. A plate 29 extends rearwardly and downwardly from the top edge of the plate 28 and the coal or other separated commodity passes thereover. The plates 28 and 29 extend transversely between the sides of the tank 2. The upright plate '28 inclines forwardly from its bottom edge. A gate 30 is placed against the forward side of the plate 28 and is adjustable vertically in suitable guides 31 applied to opposite sides of the tank. A rod 32 projects upwardly from the gate 30 and its upper end is reduced and threaded and receives a hand wheel 33 which engages and; rests upon a bracket 34 mounted upon a cross piece of the framework. Manlpulation of the hand wheel 33 effects vertieal' adjustment of the gate 30 to regulate the overflow of the coal or other commodity to be separated and discharged over the plate 29-. A deflector 35 is placed upon the plate 29 andv is disposed midway between the sides of g; the tank 2 and its side portions are reversely inclined, as indicated most clearly in Figures 3 and 4 to deflect the coal or other commodity towards the side of the tank. A'wall 36 closes the sides of the coal receiving compartment 39, opposite that closed by the plate 28 and openings are formed therein for the discharge of the coal. Gates 37' close the said discharge openings and eachis adjustable by means of a rod 38, the upper end of which is threaded to receive a hand wheel 39. A chute 40leads rearwardly and downwardly from each of the discharge openings to deliver the coal or other commodity at the redetermined point. The chutes 40 are located of the trough 6 through which the heavier articles are discharged by means of the conveyor 7.

A. traveling screen 41 closes the space formed between the angle lip 14 and the platev 28 and preferably consists of a. perforated drum mounted upon a shaft 42 which is mounted insuitable bearings provided at opposite sides of the tank 2. The shaft 42 is connected with the chan eable speed gearing operated by shaft 12 which may be of any construction and which is connected to the shaft 10 by-means of the drive belt 11. A drive pulley 43 fast to the shaft 10 is adapted to receive power from a suitablesource not shown, said power being transmitted to the changeable speed gearing 12 which admits of' the rotary screen 41 being driven at different speeds: A shield 44 fits snugly against the bottom and opposite sides of the rotary drum 41 and is circularly adjustable to vary the position of its extremities with reference to the lip 14 and plate 28. The shield 44 is of circular. outline and is flanged at opposite ends toreceive bolts 45 which secure the shield IL to the sides of the tank in the required adupon opposite sidesjusted position. Slots 46 are formed in the flanges at the ends of the shield to receive the fastenings 45 and thereby admit of circumferential adjustment of the shield. The openings formed in the sides of the drum 41 are arranged in parallel rows and in consequence water forced upwardly through the openings escapes in jets in a radial direction. Hence, adjustment of the shield controls the jets adj acent the delivery end of the lip 14. Water from a suitablesource is supplied to an end of the drum 41 by means of a pipe 47 in which is located a valve 48 which admits of controlling the fiow so that the force of the jets escaping through the openings of the drum 41 may be regulated.

In the operation of the separator the coal is supplied thereto in any manner and is received upon the chute 13, over which it gravitates, the gate 18 opening to regulate the feed. The gate 27 opens simultaneously with the gate 18, the weight 24 being adjusted to regi1- late the feed as required. It is assumed that the screen 41 is rotated at the required speed and that the water is supplied to the screen at the required pressure. The lip 14 is adjusted to retard the discharge of the material from chute. The shield 44 is adjusted to regulate the jets escaping through the openings of the drum 41 adjacent the lip 14. As the material finally discharges over the lip 14 the heaviest particles will drop and fall into the boot or lowest portion of the tank and be discharged through the trough 6 by means of the conveyor 7. The material falling upon the drum is subjected to the upwardly ascending current of water which carries the lighter parti cles upwardly, the heavier particles remaining at the lowest level. The slate and rock pass through the openings controlled by the gate 27 and drop into the lower portion of the tank. and are carried off by the conveyor 7. The lighter particles, such as coal, are carried upwardly and pass over the plate 28 onto the plate 29 and are directed laterally by means of the deflector 35 and pass through the discharge openings controlled by means of the gate 37 and pass off by wav of the chutes 40. The gate 30 may be adjusted vertically to regulatethe overflow of the discharge of the lighter particles.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. An ore and coal separator comprising a tank, a feed chute provided with an adjustable angle lip, a gate suspended above the feed chute, a gate for controlling the discharge of the'heavier particles separated from the material, connecting means between the two gates to cause them to move in unison, means forvarying the resistance to the opening of the gate, a screen adapted to receive the material to be separated, an overflow for the lighter particles: separated from the material, an adjustable gate for varying the overflow, and a plate for receiving the overflow.

2. In an ore and coal separator, the combination of: a rotary separating screen, a feeder for supplying the material to the upper portion of the screen to one side of a Vertical plane passing through the axis of the screen, means within the screen for projecting jets upwardly therethrough and through thematerial passing thereover, and a shield snugly fittting against the bottom and opposite sides of the screen and oircumferentially adjustable to regulate the eifectiveness of the jets on the material passingover the screen.

In testimony whereof I afiix m signature. CHARLES F. RICHARD [L. s.] 

